Phaethon immediately sent a message to Tribbie and the others, asking where Aglaea was.
A few seconds later, the other side sent a photo of the exterior of the Golden Eatery. In the photo, Aglaea was lingering near the eatery, looking hesitant and undecided, wanting to enter but not daring to.
Then, Tribbie—or rather, it should have been Trianne—sent a message: "Little Snowy, are you really going to keep Agy hanging like this? I think Agy—"
The message was suddenly cut off. Another message followed a few seconds later: "Little Snowy, that was Trianne grabbing the slate just now. You should do what you think is right. Little Ciphy has gone a bit too far this time. What is it that can only be done using someone else's face?"
Phaethon sighed and replied, "Understood, Teacher Tribbie. I'll go deal with it now."
...
By the time Phaethon hurriedly arrived at the Golden Eatery, the warm lights inside were already lit, the place was bustling with noise, and the enticing aroma of food filled the air.
Aglaea was already waiting at the entrance. The moment she saw Phaethon, she quickly stepped forward to meet him. Her stunningly beautiful face wore a rare expression tinged with both helplessness and vexation.
"Phaethon, you're finally here," she said softly, a trace of weariness in her tone. "I've been wanting to have a proper talk with Cifera, but she seems to be deliberately avoiding me, like a slippery fish. Every time I just catch a glimpse of her, she vanishes again in the blink of an eye."
Aglaea frowned slightly and continued, "Last time was the same... I finally managed to get her to stay using dinner as an excuse, but after just a short while, she slipped away again using all sorts of absurd reasons. If taking your form is an application of the 'Trickery' authority... but I've already mostly deduced Cifera's true identity. Why is it still so difficult to truly catch her and have a face-to-face conversation?"
Phaethon gazed at the Aglaea before him, his eyes flickering slightly for a moment before he calmly analyzed, "Aside from Cipher herself, I'm afraid no one truly knows all the secrets and limits of her 'Trickery' authority. But judging by her modus operandi: to completely dismantle these tricks mixing truth and falsehood, I suspect it's not enough to rely on deductions alone. It requires a thorough, face-to-face 'exposure'."
"Exposure..." Aglaea repeated the word. Her tone suddenly became subtly unnatural, but she suppressed it forcefully the next moment.
It was this extremely minute, almost imperceptible flaw that made a flash of understanding appear in Phaethon's eyes.
He suddenly acted without warning, moving fast as lightning, and grabbed the wrist of the "Aglaea" before him! The grip was so strong it made "her" gasp in surprise.
Phaethon's voice abruptly rose. "Hah! You cunning Trickery Demigod! How dare you impersonate the Guardian of Okhema! You must be thoroughly humiliated! Come work obediently as a private maid in the shop!"
"Mew?! No way? Deliverer Chef? How did you see through it? My disguise was supposed to be flawless!"
The caught "Aglaea" instantly broke character. The gasp of surprise turned into a clear, slightly flustered young woman's tone. As she cried out, the disguise receded like a tide—silver hair spread from the roots, replacing the original golden locks; with a soft "poof," a pair of fluffy cat ears, trembling slightly from shock, sprouted on her head; and from behind, "whoosh," a similarly fluffy cat tail emerged, currently swishing left and right nervously because she'd been caught.
Cipher now began frantically shaking her arm, struggling like a cat held by the scruff. "Let go! Let go! An Okhema Elder is bullying a cat! Help!"
Phaethon not only didn't let go but tightened his grip. He even leaned close to her cat ear and whispered a "cruel" threat only the two of them could hear: "Cipher! If you keep struggling, I won't mind immediately using the 'Ocean' authority to curse that pretty tail of yours to be wet, heavy, and *never, ever* able to dry out—365 days a year, 24 hours a day, forever!"
Cipher's struggles instantly froze. She twisted her head around sharply, her sapphire blue cat eyes filled with disbelief and accusation. "No way? Deliverer Chef? That's so vicious! That's going too far! I helped you calm the citizens and even helped a couple get together!" She glared at Phaethon indignantly. "And how did you find out anyway? I specifically studied for a long time, even imitating Aglaea's somewhat awkward humanity!"
Phaethon chuckled softly, loosening his grip a little but still maintaining control. He began listing the clues clearly and methodically: "Flaw number one: If the real Aglaea were standing here right now, and she knew Cipher was most likely hiding somewhere in this very Golden Eatery, she would absolutely not be so 'focused' on facing me while talking. Given how much of a headache your recent antics have been for her, her gaze would inevitably, unconsciously flicker toward the interior of the hotel, trying to search for traces of you. You, however, imitated being far too 'focused' on me."
He paused, then used his other hand to point gently at the collar of his combat suit, which was usually impeccable but now sported a small accessory. "And the most important flaw number two: Given the real Lady Aglaea's extreme attention to neat attire, proper appearance, and her... well, level of attention toward a certain someone... She absolutely would not have failed to notice and point out after meeting me for this long—that my collar is pinned with a metal brooch modeled after a miniature version of Teacher Anaxa."
Cipher's gaze instantly snapped to the small, cute, yet utterly style-clashing brooch on Phaethon's collar. Her cat ears drooped down at once as she let out a mournful mewl. "No way... Deliverer Chef? Who would specifically notice a little thing like that pinned on your collar?! That's just cheating!"
"Cifera. I've finally found you." A cool, clear voice came from behind the two.
The real Lady Aglaea was now standing at the Eatery entrance, having clearly followed the commotion.
She looked at the chaotic scene before her—a Cipher with cat ears and tail, a Phaethon holding said cat-eared girl, and... that extremely conspicuous brooch on Phaethon's collar.
Her gaze, sharp as an awl, first shot toward the "chibi Anaxa" brooch on Phaethon's collar. The chill in her voice was almost enough to freeze the surrounding air. "Phaethon. First, I require an explanation. Who gave you permission to pin that... 'garbed Droma enthusiast' brooch onto the combat uniform I personally tailored, which represents the image of the Deliverer?"